VOX Box: The Devil and His Dream
Characters * Lucifer Morningstar * Mazikeen * Dream of the Endless Location * Hell * February 7th 1983, 1243 Universal Time VOX Archive * Dream: slams open, footsteps Lucifer? footsteps Lucifer! gasp shout: Lucifer, answer me! * Lucifer: Yes? * Dream: Lucifer. Where is she? What have you done to her? Where have you hidden her? * Lucifer: footsteps Hello, Dream... Say, why don't you take off that silly helmet and we'll talk. Yeah? * Dream: I will not be tricked by you, Lucifer Morningstar- * Lucifer: chuckle, footsteps Why, sweet Morpheus... Are you scared of me? * Dream: Yes. * Lucifer: chuckle Fair enough. Then I give you my word while we are within the bounds of Hell, I will do nothing to harm you. There. Now take off your stupid mask, and I'll tell you what's happened to your lady-love. clatter, sigh There. Much better, is it not? Now, do you still want to know what's going on? * Dream: Yes. * Lucifer: Nada is safe... She is under the same oath of protection that I just extended you. Anyway, I called you here because I've got something important to tell you, old friend... I've quit. 13 seconds, sigh Honestly, Morpheus, you need not stare at us- at me, rather- with that ridiculous expression. * Dream: I-... I do not understand. Is this a joke? There is some trick here, some stratagem, ruse, deception? * Lucifer: No. I've stopped. I've resigned. I'm leaving. How can I make myself any plainer? And I never lie, Dream. Point of pride, really. I resent your insinuation that I would try to trick you... a dear old friend of mine. * Dream: Friends? Is that what we are? I don't think so. What did you do with her? * Lucifer: Your lady-love? chuckle She's fine... sigh I used her as bait, maybe, to get you here, but I didn't lie. * Dream: Your emissary mentioned Nada... I presumed that you meant you were threatening torture if I didn't- * Lucifer: Torture? chuckle I don't torture... I punish... and I wouldn't punish her, Morpheus. You brought her here as a guest. I don't punish guests. I punish wrongdoers. Did she do anything wrong? * Dream: She let me fall in love with her... Wait... You're referring to yourself in the singular, Morningstar... * Lucifer: I am no king, Morpheus... not anymore. Just as well, honestly. Such formality was exhausting, really... footsteps Look, Murphy... do you mind if I call you Murph? Of course you don't, now Murph, if you'll wander around with me for a bit, I'll explain the whole thing to you. * Dream: Lucifer... I'm sorry, but I still don't understand. What do you mean you quit? How can you quit? * Lucifer: Honestly, Murphy... I just had enough of this place. How many times must I say it? It's over. I'm leaving. * Dream: How? How can you even do such a thing? * Lucifer: Ten billion years I've spent in this place. That's a long time... and we've all changed, since the start of everything. Even you, Murphy... You were very different back then. You were much more fun, I recall. * Dream: Perhaps, your Highness. * Lucifer: You can forget the honorifics... Did you not hear what I said earlier? Rank and titles never mattered to me, not really. I used them to keep the demons in line... authority, fear, and power were the only things they could understand. Really, that's part of the reason I quit... There's others, but mainly, I'm tired... sigh You knew me, Dream... You knew me when I was Samael... before the Fall. What was I like? * Dream: You were always very proud, even then. But also beautiful, wise... and passionate. * Lucifer: chuckle You flatter me, dear Morpheus. Was I, truly? Yes... You're right. I guess I was. I cared about so many things. I cared so deeply back then. In the cold... in the beginning of things. In the Silver City... sigh I supposed that was why everything began to go wrong. You know... I still wonder how much of it was planned. How much of it the Presence knew in advance. I thought I was rebelling. I thought I was defying... But was I? Or was I merely fulfilling a part of the Great Plan? If I had not rebelled, another would have, right? Maybe Raguel? He always had a temperament... Maybe even Michael. Ooh. There's fun thought, huh? chuckle Oh, come on, Murphy... Would it kill you to smile once in a while? * Dream: I'm sorry... I, uh, I'm... just distracted. * Lucifer: Distracted? Why for? * Dream: Why me? Why did you send that demon to deliver that message? Why summon me here? * Lucifer: sigh For as much as I have grown tired of this place, I cannot deny I am proud of what I have made of it. You said so yourself, Murphy... I'm a prideful thing, aren't I? chuckle Yes... I own up to my own sins. Unlike those mortals who use my name as if I spend my entire day sitting on their shoulders, forcing them to commit acts. "The Devil made me do it". scoff I have never made one of them do anything... Never. They live their own lives. I do not live their lives for them... I hardly even live my own life... and that's going to change. door opens, footsteps: 2 instances As I was saying, I cannot just abandon this all to ruin. That's where you come in, Murph... You also rule a world, old friend. A world of sleepers and dreamers, of stories. A simple place compared to Hell... How I've envied you. Yes, another sin of mine. Spare me the surprise. sigh So that throne there now belongs to you. * Dream: You're giving me Hell? I don't know if I can do that- * Lucifer: Nonsense... You'll do just fine. Probably better than I... chuckle Well, probably not that good, but- chuckle I jest. I jest. You'll do wonderfully, Morpheus. You deserve this. It's a gift from me to you. * Dream: A gift? What for? * Lucifer: You inspired me to this decision, Dream. I woke from the most wonderful dream this morning. It was like a new age has dawned. The advent of a new era. This was my opportunity and I had to seize it. * Dream: But... your responsibilities? * Lucifer: Not mine, yours... now. chuckle * Dream: But what will you do? * Lucifer: Honestly? I was thinking of drinking a lot and playing the piano... chuckle But first, Las Vegas... * Dream: Las Vegas? * Lucifer: chuckle Yes, Murphy... I am getting married! * Dream: Uh... congratulations? * Lucifer: Thank you. I'd ask you to attend, maybe even be my best man, but... I think you'll be busy down here. * Dream: About this arrangement, Lucifer- * Lucifer: You wish to return my gift? * Dream: I do not know how I'd be the master of two realms... The dead and the dreaming aren't compatible. * Lucifer: sigh Ah, yes, the commute would be rather taxing, wouldn't it? sigh Fine. Give it to your sister then. * Dream: Death? * Lucifer: Naturally. * Dream: Oddly, I don't think this would be of interest to her either. * Lucifer: Then tell me what you wish me to do. I cannot just give Hell to any of my subordinates. * Dream: Why not? Surely a resident of Hell would be more qualified than any of my kind... except Despair? * Lucifer: sigh Politics and dreams rarely make good bedfellows, eh? Fine, I'll give you the abridged version. On one end of Hell, I have the Demon Lords and on the other I have the Devil Princes. If I give control to Demon Lords, the devils would object. If I give control to the Princes, then the demons would rebel. Hell would collapse in upon itself in a matter of months. And I cannot tell them to share power for there is but this one key, one crown, and one throne. Only one king can truly rule in Hell. * Dream: Give the keys to one side and appease the other side by giving them something else of similar value. * Lucifer: Like what? I have nothing else to offer. I've already divided up everything else. I wanted to start fresh in my new life. All I have now is the love of one archdemon and the clothes on my back. * Dream: That's not all you have on your back, Lucifer... * Lucifer: Hmm... My wings? chuckle Wait, yes... if I give Hell to the Fallen Lords and give an ample supply of archangel feathers to the Devil Princes, that would effectively create a stalemate with neither side having more power than the other. Thinking outside the box has always been your forte, dear Dream. One of the reasons I thought you were up to this task... Very well, Mazikeen! Mazikeen, my bride-to-be, will you please bring me one of your many knives. Preferably the sharpest you have... * Dream: Are you sure about this? * Lucifer: chuckle This was your idea, Murphy... Don't tell me you have cold feet. * Mazikeen: footsteps Is this sharp enough for you? chuckle Take off your shirt. This is going to get bloody... * Lucifer: Give the dagger to Morpheus. Oh, come on now, dear... Don't look at me like that. If I regret this later, I'd rather curse Dream than my beautiful bride-to-be. chuckle Morpheus, don't make me regret this. chuckle Why, sweet Morpheus... What's this face now? Are you still scared of me? * Dream: clatter More than ever... slash, hack, pained hiss, flesh slicing, blood splatter, flesh slicing Trivia and Notes * Debut of Dream. Links and References * VOX Box: The Devil and His Dream Category:VOX Box Category:Lucifer Morningstar/Appearances Category:Mazikeen/Appearances Category:Dream/Appearances Category:Endless/Appearances Category:Hell/Appearances